NCAA Division III Championships: Denison Looking for Repeat, NYU Seeking Breakthrough
It took a lot last year to unseat three-time NCAA Division III men’s swimming and diving champion Emory. Denison brought that, winning by nearly 140 points, the Big Red’s first NCAA title since 2019.
The rest of Division III has been chasing the Big Red all season, a quest that culminates at the NCAA Championships at IU Natatorium this week.
Denison is in position to defend that title. It leads the field with 12 swimmers and 39 entries. It is seeded first in the 800 free relay and 200 free relay, after winning no relays last year. Jack Hill is their only individual top seed. The North Coast Athletic Conference Championships Swimmer of the Meet leads in the 200 free and is second in the 200 IM.
Only four champions return from last year’s men’s meet. Carnegie Mellon’s Brayden Morford won the 100 backstroke and 200 individual medley last year. The junior is seeded fourth in the 100 back and seventh in the IM. He’s the second seed in the 100 fly behind last year’s champ Cooper Costello of the University of Chicago.
Costello leads the way in the 200 fly, where he was second last year, and the 200 IM, where he was third. He’s looking to build on three career national titles.
The other returning champ is Henri Bonnault of Emory in the 100 breast. He’s seeded third in both breaststroke events.
Emory, last year’s runner-up, has 15 swimmers and 36 entries. In addition to Bonnault, Harrison Thorsen is the second seed in the 200 fly and Benjamin Thorsen is fourth in the 400 IM.
NYU was fourth last year. It has 14 swimmers and 41 event entries, the latter the most in the field. The Violets are ranked 1-2 in three events entering the meet: The 400 IM, led by Maksyn Nechydyuk; the 100 back, led by Keith McQuaid; and the 200 back, with Teddy Cross first and McQuaid second.
Kenyon, fifth last year, has 28 entries, led by nine-time national champion Djordje Dragojlovic, the co-top seed in the 50 free.
Bates is a dark horse, with eight swimmers. It was 13th at NCAAs last year. But it’s seeded first in both medley relay. Maximillian Cory is the co-top seed in the 50 free and the top seed in the 100 free, and Marrich Somridhivej leads the way in the 100 breast.
On the Women’s Side
MIT and NYU were both new faces in the top two last year, the Engineers winning the title by 27 points. Might it be NYU’s turn this year?
MIT is certainly weaker. Kate Augustyn did the backstroke double last year, and Alex Turvey was a relay stalwart on the Engineers’ four relay titles. Both are gone. MIT has 15 swimmers and 42 event entries remaining.
There are plenty of defections from the women’s field from last year, from Emory’s five-time individual national champion Jennah Fadely to Williams’ six-time champ Sophia Verkleeren due to graduation. Distance threats Natalie Garre (from Bowdoin to Brown) and Bengisu Caymaz (from Kenyon to Virginia Tech) also moved on since titles the last two years.
That leaves opportunity. It also leaves the constant that is NYU’s Kaley McIntyre. The senior is looking for NCAA four-peats in the 50 free and 200 free and her third straight 100 free title. She’s the top seed in all three – by four tenths in the 50, by exactly two seconds in the 100 and nearly four seconds in the 200.
Nicole Ranile is the top seed in the 200 fly. The Violets are tipped to repeat as 800 free relay champs and are the top seed in all three freestyle relays.
NYU has 18 individuals and 58 swims at NCAAs. That’s one swim up on Emory, which was fifth last year. Kenyon has 16 swimmers and 48 swims in third. Kenyon could have a big Friday, with the top seed in the 100 back (Gwenyth Eisenbeis) and the 100 breast (Kelsey Van Eldik). It also has the top-seeded 400 medley relay, as well as Molly Haag in the 1,650 free.
Denison is, as always, one to watch, with 14 swimmers and 49 swims. Emily Harris is the top seed in the 500 free and 400 IM. Drue Thielking leads the 200 breast.
While there are plenty of veterans back – among them, Hope College’s grad student Greta Gidley as the top seed in the 200 IM, and Rowan senior Elizabeth Penninton in the 100 fly and 200 back – freshmen could be decisive. Sophia Phelps of Williams is second in both IMs and fourth in the 100 free. NYU’s Llew Ladomirak is seeded fifth in the 200 free and eighth in the 500.
In The Polls
Denison held onto the top spot in the men’s poll in March, five points up on NYU, which jumped Emory into the second spot. Chicago and Kenyon were fourth and fifth, respectively. Denison has been No. 1 all year.
On the women’s side, NYU leapt from third to first, topping Kenyon and Emory. The Violets were eight points up on Kenyon and 10 up on Emory. The CSCAA polls consider dual meet results.
In The Conferences
The University Athletic Association women’s meet was one for the ages. It came down to the final relay, when NYU claimed its first title, ending the 27-year run of Emory as champion. NYU scored 1,900 points, 15 up on Emory. The University of Chicago was a distant third, just ahead of Washington University St. Louis.
The NESCAC races were about as entertaining as the UAA women. Williams erased a deficit to Tufts on the final day of the men’s meet, edging it by 37 points with Amherst third. The Williams women had done the same thing, overturning a 26-point hole to win by 82 points, its third straight and 22nd overall women’s title. Tufts was second, and Colby was third on the women’s side for the first time in program history.
The UAA men’s title went to Emory with 1,753 points, comfortably up on NYU’s 1,626. Chicago was third with 1,399.
Denison’s men’s team was comfortably ahead of the field at the North Coast Athletic Conference Championships. The Big Red men scored 1,958.5 points to ease past Kenyon’s 1,741.5 (with newcomers John Carroll third). On the women’s side, Kenyon prevailed with 1,944 points to Denison’s 1,853.
